On July 29, 2009, WABC-TV informed viewers the the Mega Millions winning numbers were 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, with a Mega Ball of 12. Based on the sequence of the numbers, it appears likely the numbers were likely aired as a result of “dummy” numbers used by the station as placeholders, a common practice at both TV stations and newspapers.

It’s always a good idea to use placeholder text that’s both obvious to viewers as placeholder information and easy to spot as having not been filled in. For example, “X”s would make a better placeholder text for lottery numbers since, by definition, an “X” cannot be a winning number. Though it’s obviously best to catch the error before making it on the air, Xs would at least avoid any confusion. A series of Xs also is visually easier to spot as dummy text, reducing the chances of it appearing on air at all.

Incidentally, there have been cases of repeated zeros being drawn as winning numbers and TV stations and newspapers including a note that, for example, “0-0-0-0” is the “actual” winning number.